Solving: The Okra Situation
![Fresh Okra - Photo Courtesy Souvlaki for the Soul](http://cook.fnr.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/cook/editorial/blog/legacy/devour/2010/8/Okra-Fresh-588.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.462.suffix/1505357268906.jpeg)
I love having a CSA. Every week, my farmer delivers fresh-picked tomatoes, peaches, herbs and as many squash as I can carry. But then, there's the okra situation. For the last month, my CSA box has included a big bag of okra. "I hope you're not tired of okra," my farmer says each week. I vaguely smile. I'm not tired of okra -- I'm stumped by it.
Okra is like the cilantro of the vegetable world -- most people either love it or hate it, but so far I'm smack in the middle of the "indifferent" category. There's plenty not to like about okra -- it can get slimy, it has an odd flavor -- but I feel like I'm just missing something. As a transplant Southerner, I wouldn't turn away fried okra, but I don't get jazzed about it, either. Serve me some okra-laced gumbo, and I'll eat it, but I'll slurp down, not savor, the okra chunks. I want to know what else there is to love about this under-appreciated veg -- so I looked for inspiration.
![Homesick Texan's Spicy Pickled Okra](http://cook.fnr.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/cook/editorial/blog/legacy/devour/2010/8/Okra-Homesick-Texan-Spicy-Pickled.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.411.suffix/1505357270704.jpeg)
In the "okra: it's what's for dinner" category, Cooking Channel's own Roger Mooking has a (surprisingly) appealing idea: okra chili (and a whole episode all about okra!) He mixes up his own spice mix, then throws in chili classics like red beans, beef, a bottle of beer and, of course, okra!
![444 C1 Roger Mooking's Okra Chili](http://food.fnr.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/food/fullset/2010/5/12/1/CCEDE103_okra-chili_s4x3.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.462.suffix/1371592943555.jpeg)
Over at the Souvlaki For the Soul, I found a simple, classic Greek recipe: braised okra (or "bamies," pronounced bum-yes in Greek). You quick-pickle the okra in red wine vinegar, cook with tomatoes, onion and olive oil, then sop up all the delicious sauce with crusty bread. Yum!
![Braised Okra From Souvlaki For The Soul](http://cook.fnr.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/cook/editorial/blog/legacy/devour/2010/8/Okra-Braised.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.924.suffix/1505357273299.jpeg)
Cooking Channel's resident Spice Goddess, Bal Arneson, has a delicious-looking, Indian-inspired take on classic stewed okra. She sautes onion with coriander and turmeric, then adds cherry tomatoes, okra and fresh paneer (!) and cooks till just tender.
![Spiced Okra](http://food.fnr.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/food/fullset/2010/6/17/1/CCSPG104_Spiced-Okra_s4x3.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.616.462.suffix/1371592927461.jpeg)
Hmmm. Okra...yum? For the first time, I'm excited about, not dreading, the pile of okra in my fridge.
Okra: do you love it or hate it? How do you cook it up?